Video shows Romney calling Obama voters ‘dependent on government’

A surreptitiously recorded video of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney that shows the candidate saying the lion’s share of voters who support President Barack Obama are “dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims” was circulating throughout the web Monday, and threatens to put a dent in the challenger’s hopes for the White House.

The video, obtained by Mother Jones, records Romney telling attendees at a private fundraiser that nearly half the country fits into this category.

“There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what,” Romney tells the gathering. “All right, there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.”

Romney goes on to say: “My job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

It appears the camera used to record the video was placed on a table at the fundraiser and shielded from view. Mother Jones said it also shrouded much of the picture in the video except for Romney, who is seen in the distance, in order to protect the identity of the videographer. The web site also isn’t identifying the event where Romney made the statements, though it did say the fundraiser took place after Romney secured the nomination earlier this year.

In response, the communications director for Romney’s campaign, Gail Gitcho issued this statement: “Mitt Romney wants to help all Americans struggling in the Obama economy. As the governor has made clear all year, he is concerned about the growing number of people who are dependent on the federal government, including the record number of people who are on food stamps, nearly one in six Americans in poverty, and the 23 million Americans who are struggling to find work. Mitt Romney’s plan creates 12 million new jobs in four years, grows the economy and moves Americans off of government dependency and into jobs.”